WHOLE-HOME GENERATORS.

Generator Installation

A standby generator keeps your heat, lights, and appliances running automatically when the grid goes down. Hawkins Electric installs, wires, and commissions standby generators from Generac, Kohler, Briggs & Stratton, and other leading brands.

Minnesota winters don't give much warning. Ice storms, heavy snow, and wind events can knock out power for hours or days — and when your heat goes with it, the consequences are serious. A whole-home standby generator is the only solution that protects your home automatically, without you having to do anything when the power fails.

Unlike a portable generator — which requires you to be home, run extension cords, and manually start the unit — a standby generator is permanently installed outside your home, connected to your natural gas or propane supply, and monitored continuously. When it detects an outage, it starts on its own within seconds and runs your home until utility power returns. When power comes back, it shuts off automatically.

Sizing matters. A generator that's too small will overload and shut down; one that's too large costs more than necessary. Hawkins Electric performs a proper load calculation to identify your critical circuits — heat, refrigerator, lighting, sump pump, medical equipment — and recommends a generator sized to cover them comfortably. Most Twin Cities homeowners land in the 14–22 kW range for whole-home coverage.

We install generators from Generac, Kohler, Briggs & Stratton, Cummins, and other leading brands throughout the Greater Twin Cities — including Plymouth, Eden Prairie, St. Louis Park, Minnetonka, and communities across the metro. We handle permits, gas utility coordination, and all required inspections from start to finish.